When Andre Drummond went down with a back injury, the next man up was rookie Viacheslav Kravtsov.

Due to matchup problems, the 6-foot-11 Kravtsov didn't get much playing time in the first few games Drummond was out, but got his big chance Wednesday and responded.

Advertisement

In a career-high 14 minutes, Kravtsov had four points on 2 for 2 shooting, one rebound, two steals and one block.

"I loved his confidence in there, his approach," Frank said. "He was really, really solid. I thought really good within the game. Just his post defense, his ability to hold his ground. We saw it against Brook Lopez and Brooklyn. Against those bigger, stronger guys, the one time he was guarding (Kevin) Seraphin on the block. I thought he was very, very good in both halves."

Kravtsov's defense was key to start the fourth quarter Wednesday. The Pistons held the Wizards to two points in nearly the first six minutes of the quarter and went from trailing by five to up six.

"I thought he was instrumental because we held them to two points in terms of the first six minutes," Frank said. "I thought Slava, his paint protection, he was great. Played great post 'D' plus the one time he's guarding (Bradley) Beal off a step-up pick-and-roll, Beal takes a contested step-back jumper.

"His size, even though you look at it and he had maybe one rebound, just his length, his energy, his screens for Will (Bynum), getting Will open on the pick-and-rolls. Will rewarding him with the lob."

The 25-year-old rookie from the Ukraine is also popular with his teammates, who enjoy seeing him succeed.

"He's big out there," Bynum said. "He's a force in the paint. Whenever he's playing defensively like that, you want to get him something easy and that's what I was trying to do.

"I been talking to him in the Ukrainian language about the lob, trying to get him to be the new Andre Drummond while he's out," Bynum said with a smile. "I been talking to him, trying to get him to understand. He's catching on, the more and more he play, he's going to get better and better."

Bynum knows adjusting to the style of play in the NBA has been tough for Kravtsov, but he expects the rookie to keep improving.

"He knows what he's doing out there, it's still basketball," Bynum said. "You gotta get used to the pace, the pace is different from Europe to the NBA. Guys are more athletic, different reads, different coverages. It's different, but he's doing a great job. He's working on it after practice. Roy Rogers is doing a great job working with him. He's going to continue to get better and better."

Detroit now heads to the All-Star break with a 21-33 record.

The Pistons don't play again until Tuesday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies in Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye's first game back at The Palace since being traded.

Brandon Knight will be the only Pistons' player taking part in the All-Star festivities this weekend. Knight will play in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge Friday and will compete in the Skill Challenge on All-Star Saturday night.

Drummond was scheduled to play in the Rising Stars Challenge, but will have to sit out due to his injury.

Dave Pemberton covers the Pistons for The Oakland Press. Email him at dave.pemberton@oakpress.com and follow him on Twitter @drpemberton.